Crooks Caught On Camera Stealing Packages From S. Miami Front Door

South Miami Police are investigating a rash of stolen packages from people's doorsteps. (CBS4)

SOUTH MIAMI (CBS4) – A man is caught on camera stealing packages from outside a South Miami home, police said.

Investigators said two people drove up to a home last week and took two boxes from the front door just minutes after the delivery company dropped them off.

“It’s an invasion of our privacy to be honest,” the homeowner said. She did not want to be identified. “I had a package that I ordered online delivered to the house and I noticed we didn’t receive it even though online it had been shipped. It said it had arrived on Tuesday, January 15th.”

That woman said she never saw those packages. So she decided to check the footage from her security cameras and was surprised to see the FedEx driver had arrived as scheduled. Her surprise multiplied when she saw what happened next.

“Ten minutes later it showed a car coming in to our driveway, a gentleman getting out of the passenger side and getting both packages and putting it in the car and driving away,” she said.

The homeowner reported the crime to police and showed them the surveillance footage, which includes several angles of the driveway and front door.

“It looks to us by looking at the video that these two subjects probably were following the FedEx truck,” South Miami Police Major Rene Landa said.

Investigators said they’re looking for a newer model white BMW with a sunroof and a bike rack. The rack obstructed the view of the license plate and shadows blocked the thief’s.

Cops thought the bad guys were probably disappointed with their haul.

“In it, this it was household goods. Thank God when they open up the boxes they’re going to look at some detergent, towels, things like that,” Major Landa explained.

The homeowner has ordered items online in the past and has never had this problem.

She hopes sharing the surveillance video will be a warning to crooks.

“I’ve lived in this neighborhood for 18 years,” she said. “It’s a very family oriented neighborhood and we all try to take care of each other and that’s how we want to keep it.”

If you want to avoid a similar issue, police said it’s best to try to schedule deliveries for a time you know you will be home.

Be sure to ask the online retailer and the delivery company about their shipping insurance and theft policies.

Lauren Pastrana is the co-anchor of CBS4 News This Morning airing Monday-Friday, from 5 to 7 AM. She joined CBS Miami in April 2012 as a reporter. She is an Emmy nominated, multimedia journalist with experience in television, radio and web-based ...